The Los Angeles Dodgers gave Tanner Scott a four-year, $72 million contract just a year ago.
Now, he's been officially demoted permanently from the closer role in L.A.
That became the case when the Dodgers signed Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69 million contract on Tuesday.
Scott isn't going anywhere, though. He's still with the Dodgers.
It just means that now, Scott drops into a setup role.
Maybe that'll suit him better, removing just a tad of the pressure that comes with the ninth inning.
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Scott put up a 4.74 ERA in 2025, his first season with the Dodgers.
That came after a 2.31 ERA with the Marlins in 2023 and a combined 1.75 ERA with the Marlins and Padres in 2024.
Scott's strikeouts per nine declined a bit, but his walk rate went down, too. He was undone by giving up 1.7 home runs per nine innings, by far the worst rate of his career.
It's safe for the Dodgers to expect at least a little bounceback out of Scott, and if they get that, they go from just bolstering their bullpen with Diaz but also making it even deeper by having Scott back closer to his usual self.
Scott will be an expensive setup man, sure, but money isn't really an issue for the Dodgers. They'll just be hoping he looks more like the Scott they signed up for originally.
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